“In mid-November, I was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome, a temporary condition in which the immune system attacks the nerves,” Medina, D-Riverside, said in an emailed statement.

“I have been receiving top-notch treatment at UC Irvine’s Hospital. I am progressing well as I undergo physical therapy and am expected to make a full and speedy recovery. As I continue to recover, my district and Capitol offices will continue regular operations to serve constituents.”

Guillain-Barré affects between 3,000 and 6,000 Americans annually, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The disease can cause muscle weakness or paralysis.

A former high school teacher and ex-Riverside Community College District trustee who chairs the Assembly’s higher education committee, Medina, 65, has represented California’s 61st Assembly District since 2012. The district includes Moreno Valley, Perris, and part of Riverside.

He received 67 percent of the vote in defeating Republican Ali Mazarei in November to win another two-year term.

The state Legislature will convene in Sacramento on Monday to swear in lawmakers and elect leaders.

Jeff Horseman got into journalism because he liked to write and stunk at math. He grew up in Vermont and he honed his interviewing skills as a supermarket cashier by asking Bernie Sanders “Paper or plastic?” After graduating from Syracuse University in 1999, Jeff began his journalistic odyssey at The Watertown Daily Times in upstate New York, where he impressed then-U.S. Senate candidate Hillary Clinton so much she called him “John” at the end of an interview. From there, he went to Annapolis, Maryland, where he covered city, county and state government at The Capital newspaper before love and the quest for snowless winters took him in 2007 to Southern California, where he started out covering Temecula for The Press-Enterprise. Today, Jeff writes about Riverside County government and regional politics. Along the way, Jeff has covered wildfires, a tropical storm, 9/11 and the Dec. 2 terror attack in San Bernardino. If you have a question or story idea about politics or the inner workings of government, please let Jeff know. He’ll do his best to answer, even if it involves a little math.